Railway-track construction.



W. BRINTON & O. E. BROWN.

RAILWAY TRACK CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED r1312. 1, 1912.

1,040, 1 33, a, Patented Oct. 1, 1912.

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RAILWAY TRACK CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1I 1912. 1,040, 1 33, Patented Oct. 1, 1912.

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WALTER BRINTON AND OWEN E. BROWN, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

RAILWAY-TRACK CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct 1, 1912.

Application filed February 1, 1912. Serial No. 674,850.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WALTER BRINTON and OWEN E. BROWN, citizens of the United States, residing at Wilmington, in the county of Newcastle and State of Delaware, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Track Construction, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in railway track construction, being especially adapted for use as a cross over, although it may be used in connection with frogs and other similar track structures, the object of the invention being to provide an improved structure of this character by means of which those parts of the cross over which receive the greatest wear and are usually of comparatively short life may be readily renewed without the necessity of tearing up the road-bed or the adjacent parts of the structure in order to accomplish this, and by means of which also when desired those parts of the cross over which receive the greatest wear may be made of a material adapted to sustain such wear, thereby prolonging the longevity of the structure while at the same time enabling such part to be readily replaced when necessityarises without tearing up the road-bed or the adjacent parts of the structure.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an improved insert of circular form particularly adapted for use at intersections in railway track work and which may be readily inserted and removed and when inserted will be locked in position on the rotation thereof, against displacement.

As is well known, those parts of railway track work which make up the groove in the crossing or cross-over, or form the point and wing rails of a frog, are the parts that re ceive the greatest shock and wear, so that at those points the structure breaks and wears out much quicker than the adjacent parts of the track system, and at times before such adjacent parts receive any appreciable wear.

The present improvement, therefore, is designed to provide a readily replaceable insert of circular form, which can be interlocked in position on the rotation thereof and readily replaced without the necessity of tearing up the adjacent track system or any part thereof.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating the present improvement, partly in section, as applied to one corner of a crossing or cross-over, it being understood of course that when the improvement is used in a railway crossing four of the structures shown in Fig. 1 are used, one at each corner thereof; Fig. 2 is an underside view thereof; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken in line 33, Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a partly detail sectional view taken in line 4-4:, Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 illustrates the present improvement applied to a crossing, while Fig. 6 illustrates it applied to a frog.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the figures of the drawings.

Each corner of the cross-over or crossing, in other words each intersecting portion of the cross-over, in the present instance comprises what may be considered as a suitable base or bed portion 2, which may be secured to the road-bed in any desired manner usual to structures of this character. This base is shown as a partly circular structure having four projecting portions 3, each to connect with the usual rail, it being provided with the usual tread surface and flange grooves 5. The base is provided with an annular chamber 6 located centrally thereof, terminating adjacent to its bottom in an annular inwardly extending ring or shoulder 7, which ring is provided on its perpendicular inner wall with a plurality of projections or lugs 8, which may be of any desired shape, four thereof being shown in the present instance. Adjacent to these projections or lugs and having a portion thereof in a plane below the bottom of such lugs, and located on the perpendicular wall of the inner surface of this ring or flange is one or more stops 9, in the present instance four thereof being shown corresponding to the number of lugs 8. This chamber 6 is provided for the reception of a circular plate or insert 10 having in its upper face intersecting wheel tread and flange grooves 11 corresponding with the grooves of the projections 3. This plate is provided on its underside with a depending portion set back from the outer edge of the plate a distance corresponding to the top surface 12 of the annular ring formed adjacent to the bottom of the chamber and the width of the lugs carried thereby, and this depending portion of the insert is shown in the present instance as an annular ring or flange 13, the insert being in the form shown preferably reinforced by crossing ribs 1% located within such flange.

On the outer periphery of the ring or flange of the insert are located a plurality of lugs 15, shown herein as four in number, adapted to cooperate'with the lugs of the ring of the chamber, the insert ring or flange having suflicient depth so that the lugs carried thereby will be in position to be rotated below the lugs of the chamber ring or flange when the insert is dropped into position with its under wall 16 resting upon the upper surface 12 of the flange of the chamber, whereupon, by rotating the in sert from the position where its lugs enter the spaces between the lugs of the base ring,

in a manner that will be obvious, the lugs of the insert willgo under and interlock with the lugs of the base and the insert thus be held against removal, the stops hereinbefore referred to carried by the base being provided to engage the ends of the lugs.

carried by the insert and so limit the rotary movement of the insert at the right point to have the flangeways or grooves of the insert register with the flangeways or grooves of the base or bed member.

In order to prevent the rotary movement of the insert after it is inserted and rotated into its locked position, suitable wedges or keys 17 may be used, two thereof being shown herein, adapted to project through keyways 18 and 19 formed in the base and By means of the'present improvement it will be immediately apparent that the insert can be made of a different material, as

for instance of a tougher and harder and more durable material than the rest of the track structure, so that the expense of such a cross-over will be very materially decreased by reason of the fact that it will be 5'5 unnecessary to make the entire structure, comprising the base and the insert, of the more durable and therefore the more eX- pensive material, which would be neces-- sary where the entire cross-over is of an integral form. For instance, the insert can without renewing the entire structure, or

the insert can be made of the same steel as the rest of the structure and when worn out can be readily replaced without renewing the entire structure as is the present practice today, and such renewal can be readily made Without the necessity of digging up a large part of the road-bed in order to remove the cross-over as is likewise the present practice to-day. Moreover, if one part of the insert is receiving the greater part of the traffic and is therefore wearing more quickly than another part it will be entirely practicable to so arrange the lugs that the insert can be rotated a quarter way around to bring that part thereof having received the least wear into position to take the place of that part having received the greatest wear.

In practice the cooperating faces of the locking lugs of the insert and base may be tapered if preferred, so that when the insert is rotated it will be wedged down into position with the under surface 16 of the insert in firm engagement with the top surface 12 of the ring of the base, although the same result can be obtained by making the keys 17 which project through the base and into the insert of wedge form if preferred.

hen this improvement is used in connection with frogs the base is made up in part of wing rails 40 and point rails 41, while the insert adjacent to that part of the structure where the point terminates in proximity to the wing rails is formed so as to provide the remainder of the point 4-2 and the adjacent wing rail portion 43, the insert being rotated and locked in position in precisely the same manner as that hereinbefore described when it is used in connection with a crossing or cross-over.

In practice the ends of the lugs carried by the base and the insert at their meeting ends may be beveled, thereby to facilitate, if desired, the grinding of the insert in the base and also permit the drawing of the insert more firmly into its base, especially where the cooperating locking faces are plain faces instead of tapered, in which form there is, of course, no tendency of the insert working back.

Of course, it will be understood that the various details may be more or less changed without departing from the scope of this invention, as for instance any suitable means may be used for limiting the rotation of the insert either forward or backward.

We claim as our invention:

1. A railway track structure comprising a base having a circular chamber and a rotatable circular insert fitting into said chamber, said base and insert having alined wheel flangeways, said base having an inwardly projecting flange and said insert having an outwardly projecting flange resting upon the flange of the base, and said insert and base having interlocking means below the flange engaging surfaces of the base and insert.

2. A railway track structure comprising a base having a circular chamber and a rotatable circular insert fitting into said chamber, said base and insert having alined wheel flangeways, said base having an inwardly projecting flange and said insert having an outwardly projecting flange resting upon the flange of the base, and said insert and base having interlocking lugs below the flange engaging surfaces of the base and insert.

3. A railway track structure comprising a base having a circular chamber and a rotatable circular insert fitting into said chamber, said base and insert having alined wheel flangeways, said basehaving an inwardly projecting flange and said insert having an outwardly projecting flange resting upon the flange of the base and said insert and base having interlocking lugs below the flange engaging surfaces of the base and insert, and said insert having an integral stop adapted to engage a lug thereby to limit the rotation of said insert.

4. In a structure of the class described, a base having a circular chamber provided with an inwardly extending ring, and a rotatable circular insert fitting into said chamber and resting upon said ring, said chamber and insert having interlocking lugs for locking the insert in position on the rotation thereof and also having alined wheel flangeways.

5. In a structure of the class described, a base having a circular chamber provided with an inwardly extending ring, and a readily removable and rotatable circular insert fitting into said chamber and resting upon said ring, said chamber and insert having interlocking lugs for locking the insert in position on the rotation thereof and also having alined wheel flangeways.

6. In a structure of the class described, a base having a circular chamber, a rotatable circular insert fitting into said chamber, said chamber and insert having interlocking lugs for locking the insert in position on the rotation thereof and also having alined wheel flangeways, and means integral with the insert for limiting the rotation of said insert.

7. In a structure of the class described, a base having a circular chamber provided with an inwardly extending ring, a rotatable circular insert fitting into said chamber and resting upon said ring, said chamber and insert having interlocking lugs for locking the insert in position on the rotation thereof and also having alined wheel flangeways, and means integral with said insert and base for limiting the rotation of said insert.

8. In a structure of the class described, a base having a circular chamber, a rotatable circular insert fitting into said chamber, said chamber and insert having interlocking lugs for locking the insert in position on the rotation thereof and also having alined wheel flangeways, means integral with the base and insert for limiting the rotation of said insert, and means for preventing the rotation of said insert after it is locked in position in its base.

9. In a structure of the class described, a base having a circular chamber provided with an inwardly extending ring, a rotatable circular insert fitting into said chamber and resting upon said ring, said chamber and insert having interlocking lugs for locking the insert in position on the rotation thereof and also having alined wheel flangeways, a stop carried by the insert for engaging a lug of the base, means for limiting the rotation of said insert, and means for preventing the rotation of said insert after it is locked in position in its base.

10. In a structure of the class described, a base having a circular chamber, a rotatable circular insert fitting into said chamber, said chamber and insert having interlocking lugs for locking the insert in position on the rotation thereof and also having alined wheel flangeways, means for limiting the rotation of said insert, and means for preventing the rotation of said insert after it is locked in position in its base, said means comprising a key projecting through the base and into the insert.

11. In a structure of the class described, a base having a circular chamber provided with an inwardly extending ring, a rotatable circular insert fitting into said chamber and resting upon said ring, said chamber and insert having interlocking lugs for locking the insert in position on the rotation thereof and also having alined wheel flangeways, means for limiting the rotation of said insert, and means for preventing the rotation of said insert after it is locked in position in its base, said means comprising a key projecting through the base and into the insert and an intersecting key cooperating with said key and the base.

12. In a structure of the class described, a base having a circular chamber provided with an inwardly extending annular wall carrying one or more lugs and one or more stops located below said lugs, a removable and rotatable circular insert fitting into said chamber and resting upon said inwardly extending wall and having a depending flange provided with one or more lugs adapted to engage on the rotation of said insert the lugs of the base with the end of each in position to engage a stop carried by said base, said base and insert having alined wheel flangeways, and means for preventing the rotation gf said insert when it is interlocked with the ase. 13. A railway crossing having at each inalined wheel flangeways, and means for preventing the rotation of said insert when it is interlocked with the base.

14. In a structure of the class'described, a

base having a circular chamber providedwith an inwardly extending annular wall carrying one or more lugs and one or more stops located below said lugs, a removable and rotatable circular insert fitting into said chamber and resting upon said inwardly extending wall and having a depending flange provided with one or more lugs adapted to engage on the rotation of said insert the lugs of the base with the end of each in position to engage a stop carried by said base, said base and insert having alined wheel fia-ngeways, and means for preventing the rotation of said insert when it is interlocked with the base and comprising a key projectingthrough the base and into the insert.

15. In a structure of the class described, a base having a circular chamber provided with an inwardly extending annular wall carrylng one or more lugs and one or morestops located below said lugs, a removable and rotatable circular insert fitting into said chamber and resting upon said inwardly extending wall and having a depending flange provided with one or more lugs adapted to engage on the rotation of said insert the lugs of the base with the end of each in position to engage a stop carried by said base, said base and insert having alined wheel flangeways, and means for preventing the rotation of said insert when it is interlocked with the base and comprising a key projecting through the base and into the insert and an intersecting key for locking said first key in position.

16. In a structure of the class described, a base having a circular chamber provided with an inwardly extending wall having on its perpendicular face one or more lugs and adjacent to the end thereof and below the same a stop, a readily removable and rotatable circular insert comprising a plate adapted to fit the chamber of the base and having a depending flange, said insert provided on its underside with reinforcing ribs and said depending flange having one or more lugs adapted to cooperate with the lugs of the base and to be engaged by the stop of such base on the rotation of such insert, said base and insert having alined wheel flangeways,'and means for preventing the rotation of the insert after it is interlocked with its base.

17. In a structure of the class described, a base having a circular chamber provided with an inwardly extending wall having on its perpendicular face one or more lugs and adjacent to the end thereof and below the same a stop, a readily removable and rotatable circular insert comprising a plate adapted to fit the chamber of the base and having a depending flange, said insert provided on its underside with reinforcing ribs and said depending flange having one or more lugs adapted to cooperate with the lugs of the base and to be engaged by the stop of such base on the rotation of such insert, said base and insert having alined wheel flangeways, and means for preventing the rotation of the insert after it is interlocked with its base, said means comprising a key adapted to extend horizontally through the base and into the insert.

18. In a structure of the class described, a base having a circular chamber provided with an inwardly extending wall having on its perpendicular face one or more lugs and adjacent to the end thereof and below the same a stop, a readily removable and rotatable circular insert comprising a plate adapted to fit the chamber of the base and having a depending flange, said insert provided on its underside with reinforcing ribs and said depending flange having one or more lugs adapted to cooperate with the lugs of the baseand to be engaged by the stop of such base on the rotation of such insert, said base and insert having alined wheel flangeways, and means for preventing the rotation of the insert after it is interlocked with its base, said means comj'irising a kev adapted to extend horizontally through the base and into the insert and an intersecting key projecting through a part of the base and into said first key.

19. A. railway track structure having a base provided with a circular chamber and a rotatable circular insert fitting therein, said base and insert having alined wheel fiangcways and also having beveled interlocking lugs whereby the insert is wedged on the rotation thereof into the chamber and held there by the lugs.

Signed at WVilmington, Delaware, this 26th day of January, 1912.

WALTER BRINTON. OWEN E. BROWN. Witnesses CHARLES M. TOWNSEND, M. E. ALEXANDER.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, ID. 0. 

